Good evening, Kibitzers! Welcome to Storm Central! On Friday, we had a big-ass snow/sleet/rain storm in the northeast, with winds gusting in the 55 mph range (out near the end of Long Island, I heard they were getting 75 mph gusts). Storms like this are called “Nor’easters” because the prevailing winds along the coast come from the northeast, since the storm is rotating counterclockwise; see fig. 1. (One place I checked this definition was the Boston Globe — you should go there just to check out the photo of the waves in Scituate last week.)
I got about 9 inches of snow here, and then, Friday afternoon, the power went out. The power goes out a lot here, generally not for long, and so I was pathetically unprepared for it to stay out for two days, and slid seamlessly from “don’t open the fridge!” to “throw all that stuff out!” But, since there is no natural gas service here, it’s not as if I could have salvaged stuff by cooking and eating it before it had warmed up too much. I have one of those little stove-burners that works on butane cylinders about the size of a can of Raid, and it’s plastered with warnings not to use it indoors. It’s okay to boil water for a cup of tea or to make some toast, but I wouldn’t try to make, say, stew on it.
That’s okay, because over Saturday, it warmed up to the point that I could move all the remaining snow out of the way and go out to eat. They know us, where I went, so the hostess charged up my phone and Kindle for me while I ate. And then, Sunday late afternoon, the lights went on and everything was good. It did not escape my attention that in the 168 DAYS PUERTO RICO HAS BEEN WITHOUT POWER, they have not had any of the same options.
Anyway, we have another Nor’easter moving in here over tonight, and going on through Wednesday night. This one’s supposed to have even more heavy, wet snow available to dump on us, and this again threatens the trees and power lines. (Also, the ground is good and wet now, so it’s easier for trees to fall over.) So if I disappear for another few days, you’ll know why. This time, I won’t be surprised, and all the Chinese leftovers will be coming out of the fridge and into an ice chest full of snow the minute the lights flicker. Chinese leftovers are a gift from the Goddess of Supper (and the chef at Hunan Taste) and must not be wasted.
So, what kind of storm is this?? The National Weather Service explains:
Nor’easters usually develop in the latitudes between Georgia and New Jersey, within 100 miles east or west of the East Coast. These storms progress generally northeastward and typically attain maximum intensity near New England and the Maritime Provinces of Canada. They nearly always bring precipitation in the form of heavy rain or snow, as well as winds of gale force, rough seas, and, occasionally, coastal flooding to the affected regions. The heavily populated region between Washington D.C., Philadelphia, New York and Boston, the “I-95 Corridor,” is especially impacted by Nor’easters.
The U.S. East Coast provides an ideal breeding ground for Nor’easters. During winter, the polar jet stream transports cold Arctic air southward across the plains of Canada and the United States, then eastward toward the Atlantic Ocean where warm air from the Gulf of Mexico and the Atlantic tries to move northward. The warm waters of the Gulf Stream help keep the coastal waters relatively mild during the winter, which in turn helps warm the cold winter air over the water. This difference in temperature between the warm air over the water and cold Arctic air over the land is the fuel that feeds Nor’easters.
A satellite image from NASA, of a 2013 storm, illustrates how they come together:
Here is what last week’s storm looked like. Notice the little bastard developed an eye. That is never a good sign.
Here’s today’s storm as of this morning:
Kitchen Table Kibitzing is a community series for those who wish to share part of the evening around a virtual kitchen table with readers of Daily Kos who aren’t throwing pies at one another. Drop by and tell us about your weather, your garden, or what you cooked for supper. Newcomers may notice that many who post diaries and comments in this series already know one another to some degree, but we welcome guests at our kitchen table, and hope to make some new friends as well. |
PUERTO RICO and USVI DISASTER RELIEF DONATION LINKS
The Daily Kos community has its own project: Puerto Rico resident Bobby Neary (newpioneer) leads a small team dedicated to helping a specific rural elder who was left by the storms without power, water, a roof, or any belongings but a moldy mattress. If you like to see concrete results, this is the project for you. See newpioneer’s diaries for ways to help.
PLEASE FOLLOW Denise Oliver Velez and the SOS Puerto Rico group for the latest news about developments in Puerto Rico and the USVI.
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